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WB Pledges Strong Support for BD Development

EB Desk

World Bank Vice President for the South Asia Region, Annette Dixon pledged strong support for the development of Bangladesh as she on Monday concluded her second visit to the country in her current role.

“The World Bank will help Bangladesh address its priorities, including creating more and better jobs, a key driver for growth and shared prosperity”, a WB press release quoted Dixon as she said.

She said that World Bank support would continue to improve power and transportation, manage urbanization, improve health and education outcomes, and mitigate climate change impacts.

Dixon praised Bangladesh’s progress in poverty reduction and economic development during her visit, said WB press release. The World Bank classified Bangladesh as a lower-middle country earlier this year.

Quoting Dixon, the release also said that the WB would continue to support Bangladesh in areas necessary to move up within middle income country status. Bangladesh would need sustained reform efforts for further advancement.

Dixon visited Bangladesh at a time when the WB is preparing its Country Partnership Framework, which will guide the WB’s engagement in Bangladesh. The framework is aligned with the government’s 7th five-year plan and follows the same planning cycle.

Dixon met with senior government officials, including the Finance Minister AMA Muhith and the Bangladesh Bank Governor Dr Atiur Rahman, and discussed the WB’s Country Partnership Framework for Bangladesh for fiscal years 2016-20. She also met with civil society leaders.

The WB is the largest development partner of Bangladesh. The current support of the International Development Association (IDA), the World Bank’s concessional lending arm, consists of 36 projects, with a total commitment of around $8.3 billion.